Your Future's Mine

Garnet was sore.

There was dull throbbing in her thighs and a stiffness in her arms, but worse, by far, was the ache in her hands. They were chaffed and blistered, covered in patchy red and blue bruises. She'd used them a lot that day, dealing out punch after punch. At the time, everything had been moving too fast for her to notice, her mind too filled with fear and fury. But now the fighting was over, the threat gone, and her physical body was making its protests clear.

She stretched her fingers, looking them over. It was strange. They hadn't sustained any major injury. Nothing intense enough to require retreating into her gemstones. The stones themselves were whole and undamaged, which was more than could be said for Pearl. Yet the pain was still there, persistent and irritating. She didn't remember ever feeling this way after battles as Ruby. Was this… this weakness because of Sapphire's more delicate nature? Or perhaps was this a result of being herself, of being a fusion, of being Garnet?

Garnet sighed.

It was hard keeping time out in the rugged wilderness of the planet Earth, without anything to keep track of Homeworld's Cycles. Instead she kept count by this planet's days and nights, and the phases of its moon. Sometimes it was a full circle, but as its angle relative to the sun changed, it would grow darker and darker each night, until becoming nothing but a silver sliver. There had been five such cycles since her first formation in the Sky Arena, since Ruby and Sapphire fled their old lives and their old duties. Only three of those lunar cycles had passed since she had been formed a second time; since she had been found by the Crystal Gems; since she had become a true rebel.

Or perhaps today was the day she that her rebellion had begun in earnest. Today, the first day that she had gone into battle against her Homeworld.

She'd felt so uneasy at the prospect. So uncertain. While she had wanted to help the strange Gems who'd taken her in, and to repay them for their kindness and hospitality, she hadn't been sure if she was ready to go the next step, to actively fight those she (Ruby and Sapphire) had served all her life (lives).

That uncertainty had vanished when they'd actually arrived at the Spire. When she'd seen the looks of horror and disgust on everyone's faces, heard the screams of 'shatter them!'

Now the uncertainty was back, but for a different reason.

Hesitance hadn't been the sole reason that it had taken her so long to join the Crystal Gems in battle. There had been the more practical matter of coordination. It had taken her days to become completely steady on her feet, to be certain that she wouldn't trip over a stray stone. And of course, walking was one thing— fighting was another entirely. Rose Quartz had been quite firm— "I don't want you rushing into a battle only to get shattered." So Garnet had trained and trained, going through basic combat sets which she already knew, but were quite different when her legs and arms and proportions were never quite where she expected them to be.

This had been the first time she'd put her (new?) skills to the test, and Garnet felt she had done… subpar.

Rubies were natural warriors. That was their entire purpose. Perhaps they weren't the strongest, the smartest or the most powerful of Gems, but they could fight. They thrilled in it. They blazed with bravery and flame, and they would never back down from a battle.

Sapphires were rarely seen in combat, but that was more a matter of practicality. They were so rare, and their abilities so valued, that great lengths were taken to keep them out of danger. But they were intelligent, and quite adept at using their speed and agility to keep the upper hand, as long as that was what had been Determined.

And Garnet?

She was taller than her components, and stronger, too, she thought— if perhaps not yet as battle-hardened as Ruby. But in other respects, she seemed so much less…

… well. She could not produce flames or ice. She'd tried. Not a single spark or speck of frost. She could jump very high indeed, but she could not fly— or even float, as Rose Quartz could. She was fast, but she lacked the sheer speed of Sapphire.

And then there was the matter of Future Vision.

At first, Garnet had thought she simply didn't have it. Now she wasn't so sure.

She'd been Seeing things. Flashes, premonitions. The other day, Garnet had Seen a tree falling, landing right on Pearl and crushing her body. But she hadn't allowed it to happen; instead, she'd gripped Pearl by the shoulder, pulled her back, and the tree had fallen harmlessly in the place Pearl would have been.

In that sense, it was very helpful. With one key exception, the Future Vision of Sapphire had been absolute. With this vision, not only could she See events coming, she could change them.

At least, when her Visions were correct. And a great deal of the time, they were not.

Sometimes, they were only partially accurate. Earlier that day she'd had a Vision of Rose Quartz running into battle and dodging right to avoid an ax— only in reality, Rose had dove left. Sometimes somebody would say something almost, but not quite, what she'd predicted. On other occasions, her Visions were completely off mark. Once, Garnet had spent an entire day on edge, expecting an ambush from an Earth predator that simply never came. It had been disorienting, distracting, and above all, frustrating.

Garnet wanted certainty about the future, or no knowledge at all; either would be preferable to this strange guessing game she now had to play.

She'd taken to keeping her third eye closed. That seemed to help. With her other two eyes, she only saw what was truly there, no predictions, no illusions, no what-ifs.

Since her third eye was closed, she never predicted that someone would come up behind her and say, "Garnet?"

Garnet, startled, swirled around— only to find Pearl. She relaxed, somewhat. "Oh! You've recovered!"

"Sorry," Pearl said, but she didn't sound very apologetic. There was something mischievous in her expression. "Did I scare you?"

"No," Garnet answered honestly. This Pearl didn't scare her. Not anymore.

But the Pearl did intimidate her.

It wasn't just that that this Pearl had held her at sword point, twice. It had been an understandable reaction, and Garnet didn't truly begrudge it. It wasn't even simply the Pearl's fighting prowess, impressive as it was. It was just… the way she carried herself. Pearls were all grace and elegance, and so was this one, but there was such a sharpness to her. She never went anywhere without a sword hanging from her hip. Her eyes were quick, always watching, always aware. She stood undaunted, tall and proud.

She always managed to put Garnet off-balance.

Garnet felt unbalanced then, when she climbed to her feet only to be reminded how much taller she was than the Pearl. It was easy to forget her own new size, at times. She put that surprise aside, and said, "I'm glad that you're alright."

"It was minor," Pearl said, brushing the concern away as she laid her swords on the ground.

Garnet did not agree. When she'd discovered that Pearl's gem had been scratched in that day's battle, Garnet had been horrified. The damage had been relatively small, but Garnet knew that appearances could be deceiving. Pearl had held on for a remarkably long time, hiding her injury, carrying on as though nothing was wrong— but then her form had begun flickering. Rose Quartz had ordered an immediate retreat, which Pearl had protested— but by the time they were safe, the grimace of pure pain on Pearl's face made it clear how severe the injury really was.

Garnet hadn't been able to meet Pearl's eyes. She'd known what would happen next. Injured Gems were put out of their misery. There was no way around it.

Except, it turned out, Rose Quartz was a healer.

Garnet had been deeply tempted to watch, to see the process herself. But Pearl's twitching form had been painful to look at, and the desperation on Rose Quartz's face almost as terrible, so Garnet had left them alone to hope for the best.

Looking at Pearl's gem now, however, there was no evidence that it had ever been damaged. Garnet was impressed. It was one thing to know about Rose Quartz's healing abilities; it was quite another to actually see their effects.

Her thoughts must have been obvious, because Pearl tapped her gem lightly and said, "It's quite impressive, isn't it?

Garnet nodded.

Pearl grinned. "Would you like a closer look?"

Garnet hesitated— but, "Yes."'

Pearl allowed her to come quite close, to bend down and inspect her gemstone closely. Not the slightest scratch marred its beautiful white sheen.

As Garnet straightened, Pearl spoke up. "I wanted to say: You did very well today."

Garnet froze. "I…"

"I mean it." Pearl reached out, and grabbed her by the hand. "You handled yourself wonderfully for your first battle."

"It wasn't really my first battle," said Garnet.

"Ah." Pearl withdrew a little. Sometimes, she thought, Pearl forgot about Garnet's nature. Garnet forgot sometimes, too. "I suppose so."

Garnet pulled back, staring down at the ground and her own mismatched feet. "You don't need to give me false compliments. I know how how lacklustre my own performance today was. I know that— know that it was my fault you were injured at all."

Garnet couldn't bring herself to meet Pearl's eyes. There was a long moment of silence. And then, "What?"

Garnet's head jerked up. The Pearl looked, quite frankly, shocked. "Is that truly what you think?" said Pearl. "Do you know what a help you were? We never could have arranged such an attack without an extra Gem— or Gems," she said, tripping. She rallied quickly. "Your technique was very solid, especially considering that when we met you were still learning how to walk. I got overconfident— that's the only reason that amethyst landed a blow on me—"

"I should have been guarding your flank," said Garnet. "That was my job. But I wasn't fast enough. I wasn't—"

She was silenced, quite abruptly, when Pearl stood up on her tip toes and pressed her mouth against Garnet's.

Her lips were surprisingly soft and gentle, though insistent, and for a moment Garnet was too shocked to do anything. Pearl pulled away quickly. Smiling gently, she said, "Don't be ridiculous."

Kissing. Pearl had just kissed her.

The concept was a strange and foreign one to Garnet. The first time she'd seen seen it was about a moon ago, when she'd found Rose Quartz and Pearl curled up together in the bushes, and hadn't been able to help herself in asking what they were doing with their mouths. Pearl had blushed furiously, but Rose Quartz had just given a laugh like the tinkle of glass. Still giggling, she'd given an explanation. Kissing was a human habit, a way of showing affection to those you cared for.

Garnet had thought it had seemed rather odd. She still thought that. But it was a rather pleasant kind of odd. Rather like fusion, in that respect. It made her feel tingly.

There was a question in Pearl's eyes, an invitation, and Garnet thought she wouldn't mind trying again.

Garnet reached out, and held Pearl by the shoulders. That touch alone— the touch of another Gem caste— felt taboo. Still, she leaned forward, and carefully, kissed the smooth stone at Pearl's temple. Pearl leaned into the touch—

— and then, suddenly, flinched away.

Pearl's eyes were huge, shocked, fearful.

Garnet froze. Then she pulled away, fist clenching. Something sick was churning inside of her. Had— had she done something wrong? She had thought— Pearl had kissed her— what—?

"I'm sorry," Garnet stammered, "I'm sorry— are you?—did I-?"

Pearl began to cry. Great, gasping sobs. And just to make matters more confusing, she threw herself at Garnet, clutching at her. "You're alive," Pearl gasped.

"I—" said Garnet. "Yes, of course I'm alive. What's wrong?"

Pearl just gave another hiccuped sob. Her crying could surely be heard all through the garden, because a moment later, Rose Quartz came charging in, her fists bared, eyes alight with fear and fury. "Pearl! Pearl, what's—?"

She found no attackers, no threats, no mortal injuries— just a tearful Pearl, being patted awkwardly on the back by Garnet. Rose Quartz relaxed, but only slightly. "What's going on?"

"I don't know," said Garnet, feeling quite overwhelmed.

Pearl broke away to look directly at Rose Quartz. Her expression was somewhere between joy and horror. "You were dead."

Rose blinked. "Nonsense. Pearl, dear, look at me. I'm perfectly fine. "

"No, no. I saw you die." Pearl's eyes were bright with tears. "Five times."

Rose Quartz strode over, opened her arms and embraced Pearl in a mighty hug. Pearl fell into it with relief, though the fear was not yet vanished. It was startling to see her, all shivery and anxious. It seemed… it seemed like the kind of thing another pearl would do. This Pearl had always seemed to be all strength and spirit, even when injured, and Garnet was shaken to see this other side of her. Over Pearl's shoulders, Garnet and Rose exchanged looks before the quartz murmured, "I think you had better explain."

"Okay," Pearl said. Something of her usual control came back, determination settling over her features. "Yes. But not here."

"Why not?" said Garnet.

"I'll explain later," Pearl said, picking up her swords. "We need to move. Now."

There was no room for argument in her tone. They obeyed.

Pearl lead them from the garden where the Crystal Gems had made their base, into the thicker surrounding forest. She moved swiftly and surely, Rose Quartz on her heels, graceful despite her great size. It made Garnet feel quite slow and clumsy, but she pushed herself and manages to stay within them. They had to move quietly, Pearl insisted, so Garnet took care not break any branches or run head-first into a tree. She wondered what this was all about, but an explanation had already been promised, so she followed her orders. As evening fell they came to a tree— probably quite an old one, by organic standards. It was huge, and inside its trunk there was an open cavity, just large enough to fit the three of them.

Pearl seemed pleased by the find. She asked for assistance in moving a large nearby boulder in front of the hole to better hide it, then ushered everyone inside. The air was damp, the ground covered in wet leaves, and the space quite cramped, but Pearl hardly seemed to notice nor care

"This will keep us hidden. I think."

"From what?" Rose Quartz asked, her gem glowing pale pink to provide them with light.

The haunted look returned. "Homeworld soldiers."

Now that they were hidden, Pearl's earlier nervousness was back, her voice faltering as she attempted to explain. It was only once Rose Quartz offered out her hand and curled it around Pearl's slender fingers that she calmed enough to proceed. Pearl straightened, her face becoming polished and blank, as though delivering an message to a court official. She began her story.

"I had just recovered from the healing. I had gone to find Garnet, to assure her that I was alright, and to commend her for her work today," Pearl said. She didn't mention the kissing, so Garnet opted not to, either. "Afterwards, I went off to do some training. I only made it through a few sets, Rose, when you came back, saying that their was a squadron of Homeworld soldiers searching the area."

Rose Quartz and Garnet looked at each other, and their thoughts were plain; neither of them remembered this happening.

"We confronted them," Pearl continued. "You had identified six soldiers— three rubies, an agate, and two citrines. They shouldn't have been difficult to take down, but—" Her voice shook again. "It was a trap. They were accompanied by eight phantom quartzes."

Garnet let out a sharp breath. Even Rose Quartz looked shaken. Phantom Quartz was a very newly developed Gem type, with less than twenty having been yet been were prized not only for their strength, but their ability to turn invisible, which made them invaluable as spies, scouts, and ambushers.

"We had taken the out the ruby fusion and a citrine, and had the other two soldiers corned. That's when the phantoms struck," said Pearl. "They— they got you first, Garnet. They were targeting you specifically, I think. It was so sudden— you— they cleaved you apart. You fought back, Rose, but— but we were terribly outnumbered, we could barely see them. One of them— they picked me up, held me in place, made me watch as they stepped on your gem—

"And then. And then," stuttered Pearl, "there was this light, and it was like the attack had never even happened."

But then, the battle had happened again. Pearl had tried to stop the massacre. She had used her knowledge to prevent the ambush; but still, the rebels were outnumbered, and killed in the onslaught of invisible warriors. And again, Pearl had found herself flung back in time. And again. And again…

"Then… then I was back in Garnet's arms," said Pearl, her voice trembling. "So— I had us run. Avoid the battle entirely. I don't— I don't know if that will help— I don't even know if any of this is real—"

Rose pulled her close, stroking her hair, murmuring comforts. Garnet, meanwhile, was lost in thought. What had Pearl seen? Why had she seen it? Was it some sort of malfunction? Perhaps her gem hadn't been fully healed after all, and she was suffering from hallucinations—

No. That didn't seem quite right.

Coming to a decision, Garnet allowed her third eye to open. And she Saw.

"Quiet," Garnet hissed, in the here-and-now.

"Huh?" said Pearl, and Rose Quartz opened her mouth to ask a question, but Garnet shook her head.

"No time," she insisted. "Quiet. No light, either."

Rose Quartz didn't hesitate. The glow from her gem faded, plunging them into stale darkness.

They sat there, silent, for a long, long time. They strained, listening. At first, all they could hear was the ambient sounds of the Earth forest— the buzz of insects, the rustle of small animals, the rush of wind through tree branches.

Then, they heard the low bark of orders. Grunts of annoyance. The crunch of leaves underfoot. Homeworld soldiers, just as predicted.

Garnet counted the footsteps, as best she could. More than six gems, certainly. The phantom quartzes may have been invisible, but they were not silent.

The soldiers were close now, getting closer. Pearl was crouched, clutching her sword. Rose Quartz was tense. Both must have realised how outnumbered they were. How little room they'd have to manoeuvre, if they were discovered.

They wouldn't be, though. Garnet was almost certain.

And… yes. The soldiers passed by their hiding spot none the wiser. Homeworld knew nothing of Earth. They knew about trees; knew that they were solid, organic growths, but didn't know that they could sometimes be hollow. They had no reason to investigate behind the boulder. They moved on. Eventually, the footsteps faded. The troop of enemy Gems disappeared into the forest, presumably to search elsewhere, or to report their failure to Blue Diamond. Garnet couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for them. Punishment would be steep.

Still, the small conclave of Crystal Gems remained silent. They waited until the first watery light of dawn began filtering into their hiding spot before they finally risked leaving. Even then, they travelled quietly, careful not to leave footprints. They found no sign of the enemy. It seemed as though the danger had passed.

Once they arrived back in the relative security of the garden that Rose Quartz pulled her back. "We should talk."

Garnet shifted anxiously, glancing towards Pearl, who was watching them curiously. "We'll catch up with you later," Rose Quartz said to her with a smile. "Could you keep watch in the meantime?"

An unreadable expression flashed in Pearl's eyes; then she nodded, and vanished into the thick brambles. Garnet was left alone with the mighty Rose Quartz and her soft, piercing gaze.

"Very strange, those visions Pearl had," she remarked, almost off-hand. "I have never heard of such a thing from any Gem, pearl or no.

"Very strange, as well, how you seemed to know of those soldiers' approach long before they could be heard," Rose continued. Absently, she plucked a blossom from a nearby bush and sniffed it. "Perhaps you could offer some insight?"

"I— yes," said Garnet. "I have Future Vision, I think."

"You think?"

"It's… it's not as straight forward as Sapphire's," Garnet explained. "It's not as accurate. It changes, sometimes, too."

Rose Quartz hummed, then turned to look at her, face open and frank. "And why do you think that could be?"

I don't know, was Garnet's first answer, but she'd been thinking on it long and hard throughout the night. She twined her fingers, trying to string together her words. "Sapphire… Sapphire only ever sees— saw— one outcome. Always. She— I— it always seemed that there was one future, immutable.

"But there isn't. In the Sky Arena, she saw Pearl destroying her physical form, and then you two getting captured. But that never happened. Ruby intervened, and this happened, instead." Garnet spread her arms wide, to encapsulate her whole self, all pinks and blues thrown together. "What Sapphire saw wasn't the future, but a future, singular. It's not that the Future Vision I have now is wrong… it's that it's showing me multiple futures. Different possibilities. And it offers me the chance to change them."

Rose Quartz nodded. "Well reasoned. If you are correct— and I suspect that you are— then that is a powerful ability you have indeed. Without it, we would almost certainly be dead right now." She paused, then added, "But how did Pearl see them as well?"

"I… I must have transferred the ability to her, temporarily."

"Do you have any idea how?"

A long silence. Rose waited patiently.

"I… well… Pearl only saw the future after I…. kissed her."

Rose Quartz's expression looked shocked. Garnet found herself feeling very hot. She wondered if perhaps she had Ruby's flame powers after all.

"Well then," Rose said at last, and there was laughter in her voice. No astonishment or jealousy or anger at all. "It seems that kissing is functional, as well as fun!" She winked, stepping forward, suddenly very close indeed. "Perhaps some more experimentation is in order?"

"Uhhhh," said Garnet, blushing furiously. "We'll see."

There was only the slightest brush of lips against Garnet's cheeks, a light touch of a hand against her arm, and then Rose Quartz was vanishing into the depths of the garden. A faint smile played on her lips, and her eyes were mischievous. "I suppose we will."